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Underdog

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A hardscrabble Vermont farmer risks losing the only home he's ever known to chase his dreams of dog mushing in Alaska. Revealed in intimate vérité, Doug at first presents as a modern Quixote, but then finds to his delight that sometimes the world can actually be as he imagines.

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Underdog

Critics Reviews

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Alex Saveliev Film Threat 07/25/2023
8/10
Underdog may seem like a story with niche appeal, but the result will surely resonate with all the underdogs out there. Go to Full Review
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Audience Reviews

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Brian C @RT26631671 03/14/2025 I was lucky enough to see this "very Vermont" film in a very Vermont setting (with a small group of my fellow towns folk in teeny Corinth, VT). Tommy (the director) was on hand for a Q&A after the film. I sit on the board for a film production related non-profit, so I half the privilege to see/be aware of a lot of productions in the state and Underdog is hands down one of the best, most real and human documentaries I have seen of any work I have viewed coming from the state. 100% recommend. A view into the hardships of rural farming that is relevant to anyone who eats food that originated from a farm (all of us). A beautiful story of a triumph and pain. One moment in full out laughter and the next with a trickling tear. The story of Doug Butler is a 1 in a million tale...and being from a place where there are 100s of characters burrowed in the hills and valleys, that's saying a lot. We live in a world today where 9/10 documentaries being cranked out for streaming services look exactly the same, with the same color grade, the same lighting scheme and the same old formulaic structure. The fly on the wall feel of Hyde's film makes it feel like there is no camera there at all. All sense of it being a movie fall aside and we are truly observing the life of another human in a beautifully special way. You are allowed to be "there" with Doug on his journey. A true triumph in cinema verite and documentary. See more Chinu D @RT53371300 08/15/2024 Its a really good movie. See more Бавуу Э @RT26109709 08/15/2024 A hardscrabble Vermont farmer risks losing the only home he's ever known to chase his dreams of dog mushing in Alaska. Revealed in intimate vérité, Doug at first presents as a modern Quixote, but then finds to his delight that sometimes the world can actually be as he imagines. See more Arthur S @RT22404634 04/11/2024 Underdog is a marvelous, uplifting experience. Although it depicts the very hard life of a small New England farmer, he is so upbeat and full of life that he brings you joy. And when achieves his lifetime goal, we all rejoiced with him. See more Frank D @RT92006173 03/01/2024 Enjoyed it a lot. A well done, intimate look at an interesting guy who is balancing his dreams with the reality of running a family farm. See more Ralph P @rpage6943 08/13/2023 Doug Butler is a force of nature with a good heart and an indefatigable positive attitude. The film follows Doug on his long path attempting to make it to a dog sledding race in Alaska as he faces the daily challenges of running a family farm in Vermont, without any sugar coating. You'll learn as much about the rigors of running a small family farm as developing a dog sled team. Very interesting and heart warming with a sharp edge of reality and well worth watching. See more Read all reviews
Underdog

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Movie Info

Synopsis A hardscrabble Vermont farmer risks losing the only home he's ever known to chase his dreams of dog mushing in Alaska. Revealed in intimate vérité, Doug at first presents as a modern Quixote, but then finds to his delight that sometimes the world can actually be as he imagines.
Director
Tommy Hyde
Producer
Aaron Woolf
Screenwriter
Aaron Woolf
Distributor
First Run Features
Production Co
Mosaic Films
Genre
Documentary, Sports
Original Language
English
Release Date (Theaters)
Aug 10, 2023, Limited
Release Date (Streaming)
Apr 2, 2024
Runtime
1h 22m
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